Thank you for keeping us apprised of the need to prepare for the worst from El Nino. Would that the Pasadena City Council were prepared with emergency shelter for the 600 homeless persons in Pasadena.

Bet their own homes are all inspected and cozy for the coming “Godzilla” rains from January through March. Churches cannot be expected to feed and shelter many of our homeless — of whom it’s estimated 50 percent are mentally disabled.

We are a wealthy city, yet our leaders are turning a blind eye to the coming catastrophe — three months of one rainstorm after another, day and night. They plead no money. That’s blinkered non-thinking. It’s an emergency and they’ve known about it for months. Is this how they would treat the rest of us, say in a massive earthquake?

Pasadena is derelict in not preparing to provide storm shelter and we should hold our city’s leadership accountable.

— Kris Ockershauser, Pasadena

Putting a price on carbon

Thank you for publishing Mark Reynolds’ op-ed on pricing carbon (Dec. 20). Mr. Reynolds might have mentioned, in arguing for a carbon fee and dividend as a sensible approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, that this approach has been in place in British Columbia since 2008. A review of the first five years of this program showed that it has been successful. In particular, fossil-fuel usage per capita had dropped by 17.4 percent, or, more meaningfully, by 18.8 percent relative to the rest of Canada, while BC’s rate of economic growth was on a par with that of the rest of Canada.

This real-life demonstration of the success of a carbon fee and dividend adds weight to Mr. Reynolds’ arguments.

— Michel Werner, Pasadena

Real meaning of Christmas

I was shopping in a Target store in Diamond Bar last week. As I was checking out with my purchases amounting to $49 and change, I presented my new Target credit card for the first time and needed to enter my new password. Unfortunately I’d forgotten what it was and tried a couple of ideas without success. I was totally embarrassed. The clerk was very busy and offered no assistance; she just tossed my bag aside and took the next person. So I decided to go to the Customer Service counter for help.

But as I started toward it, a woman who had been in line after me ran up. Two women in line after her had observed my plight and she now handed me my bag with the receipt and change! They paid for it and gave me the change! They smiled and said they wanted to do this and I should just “Go and have a merry Christmas.” That’s when I noticed their smiling faces and the T-shirt worn by one that said in part, “Jesus.”

I could now understand and wanted them to know that I will “pay it forward,” but I didn’t get their names! This is the real meaning of Christmas.

He needs to reach beyond the usual propaganda found on certain websites. Just maybe the world’s experts on climate know something that he has overlooked! The Great Courses actually puts out a short CD course on the general principles governing global climate, a fun course that assumes no more than a high school education.

Rather than hand out answers to Mr. Logan, I’ll try to launch him on a course of discovery. Here’s to the scientific education of Mr. Logan!

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